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Tuesday, November 29, 2016

Today has been a great day for pondering. It started off with puddles, and now the sun has come out. I have been thinking, thinking, thinking, as well as praying, but the only thing I can seem to write in my journal is the above verse: “The Lord on high is mightier than the noise of many waters, yea, than the mighty waves of the sea” (Psalm 93:4). There are many “waves of the sea” in my life at the moment, but the Lord is soooooo much bigger. He is totally able to handle every situation in my life, even the ones I don’t know how to face. When I don’t know even the first step, He’s already there, calling my name. And telling me that I absolutely must follow Him without reservation. No matter how much it hurts. He wants to carry me through this week - He knows what’s coming so much better than I could ever begin to comprehend.

I have come to the conclusion that no matter what I face, He is always faithful; it’s what His word has taught me. He continues to point out His greatness to me time and time again - when it’s all going beautifully, and during the times it aches deeply. And He is not content to have my obedience only in the “easy” things, oh no. He is such a faithful Father that He will try me deeply so that His name will receive the glory it’s due. Gladys Aylward has a perfect picture of this, “When God asks us to do something, He doesn’t ask us for one hand or one foot, or even one day; He asks for the complete you.”

He is asking for ALL of me. Not “Um, ok, well just make sure you’re going to church on Sunday and putting money in the offering plate, Cass, then you’re all good.” Those things are very important, but there’s something He desires more than outward obedience - inward surrender. Meaning that my obedience must go a whole lot further than just attempting to be polite or decent to the people around me - I must be Jesus to them. What an honor.

Today is interesting, but His grace has not run out! Am I going to live like it has? My situation has not limited my Savior on little bit! It doesn't baffle Him for one moment. And He has called me to obey, and that means doing some very difficult things in this season. But He is offering to carry me. “Cassidy, Cassidy, how long will you believe that you are sufficient?!” I never have been and I never will be strong enough, wise enough, or good enough in and of myself to make it through anything. I NEED to be carried, and the One who set the solar system in motion is the One who is taking me by the hand through everything. He has protected me, He has kept me, and He has been with me - what a faithful God!

Leslie Ludy has such a great reminder: “Until He is our all and all, we aren’t truly living the Gospel life.” I want Him to be the obsession of my heart and life. And if He is, then even in the midst of difficulty, my mind is stayed on Him and all He has done - I am not longer baffled by the questions that have been in my mind lately. “What will I say?” “Lord, I don’t know how to handle this. What do I do?” “What’s going to happen?” Instead, there is trust. He has most definitely brought me to it, and now He will bring me through it.

There is such joy in resting in Jesus. Nothing has to be overwhelming anymore. He has it!

Thursday, November 24, 2016

Today is Thanksgiving.

Soon my family and I will be getting in the car and driving to Eaton Rapids to celebrate with our extended family, and it's going to be a lot of fun!

As with any Thanksgiving season, there is always a lot of talk about being grateful. And the other day a friend said, "I have been so blessed just to stop and think through each month of this year and think about how many ways the Lord has really blessed me."

My sister Cam and I.... We always look like this
#sistergoals

I later found myself pondering her words; it had been quite a year. And instead of thinking, "I totally agree! There's so much to be thankful for!" I seemed to be complaining. My mind drifted over the difficult things of the year, and I was very convicted as the Lord brought my heart attitude to the surface. I had been telling myself most of the year "I just have to get through this situation and put this year behind me, then I'll be fine." There had definitely been a lot of hurt; things happened in my life in 2016 that I would never wish upon anyone else's life. But if I can take a moment to look beyond the hurt and pain of the moment, and look above to see all the ways He caused this rough situation to be used for my good and His glory, my perspective can be totally different. There has been more growth in this season than any other in my life; that is a blessing. I was totally stripped of my self-sufficiency, and learned in a new way to run to Jesus; that is a huge blessing. I learned a ton about trusting (loved ones, others, Jesus); this is a needed lesson, and therefore it's a blessing. And there are many other things I could name. He's so faithful!

Nancy DeMoss Wolgemuth has a great thought on being grateful:

“Perhaps it’s hard to find much to be thankful for today. Perhaps all you can see is what’s wrong, what hurts, and what other’s are doing to you. But look above your circumstances, beyond your fears, and ask God to show you what He’s doing in the midst of them… The choice is before us: do we only give glory to God for the part of our lives that’s going the way we want? Or do we worship Him, trust Him, and give Him thanks, just because He is God--regardless of the painful, incomprehensible places we encounter in our journey?”

No matter how hard things may seem, He is always filling our lives with blessings. Even if everything actually does go wrong, we always have Jesus. And that is the biggest blessing we could ever imagine.

I'm loving this Psalm this morning:

"I will give thanks to the LORD with my whole heart;
I will recount all of your wonderful deeds.
I will be glad and exalt in you;
I will sing praise to your name, O Most High.

When my enemies turn back,
they stumble and perish before your presence.
For you have maintained my just cause;
you have sat on the throne, giving righteous judgment.

You have rebuked the nations; you have made the wicked perish;
you have blotted out their name forever and ever.
The enemy came to an end in everlasting ruins;
their cities you rooted out;
the very memory of them has perished.

But the LORD sits enthroned forever;
he has established his throne for justice,
and he judges the world with righteousness;
he judges the peoples with uprightness.

The LORD is a stronghold for the oppressed,
a stronghold in times of trouble.
And those who know your name put their trust in you,for you, O LORD, have not forsaken those who seek you.

Sing praises to the LORD, who sits enthroned in Zion!
Tell among the peoples his deeds!
For he who avenges blood is mindful of them;
he does not forget the cry of the afflicted.

Be gracious to me, O LORD!
See my affliction from those who hate me,
O you who lift me up from the gates of death,that I may recount all your praises,
that in the gates of the daughter of ZionI may rejoice in your salvation.

The nations have sunk in the pit that they made;
in the net that they hid, their own foot has been caught.
The LORD has made himself known; he has executed judgment;
the wicked are snared in the work of their own hands. Selah

The wicked shall return to Sheol,
all the nations that forget God.

For the needy shall not always be forgotten,
and the hope of the poor shall not perish forever.

Arise, O LORD! Let not man prevail;
let the nations be judged before you!
Put them in fear, O LORD!
Let the nations know that they are but men! Selah."
(Psalm 9 ESV).

Friday, September 30, 2016

I could hardly believe it, the other day, as I flipped my calendar from August to September. Had an entire summer seriously gone by? And now it's prime fall. Leaves are falling, it's getting (wayyy too) cold outside, I'm wearing a jacket everywhere I go - hashtag nooooooo - and school is in full swing. Between nursing homework, working at a little daycare, leading Bright Lights, and doing photo shoots here and there, the schedule seems packed. And yet, in His amazing grace, the Lord has made this season one of the most fruitful yet.

THINGS I'M TOTALLY EXCITED ABOUT LATELY:

~ Getting to meet up with my mentor. Oh my goodness, I feel so incredibly blessed to have such a sweet, Christ-centered woman in my life who prays with me and for me, and pushes me further into Jesus. The other day, as we were discussing an amazing book ("Wrestling Prayer" by Eric and Leslie Ludy), she made a beautiful statement that I have been pondering:

"We are just shadows, dancing in Christ's light." Nicole Botruff.

~ Being so refreshed by my Jesus. Okay, so lately I have been tempted to feel a bit burnt out in children's ministry; I have always loved being with kiddos, and they are truly my favorite age group ever, but a little while back I had stared to allow myself to feel overwhelmed and stressed. A few weeks ago, I ordered "Set Apart Motherhood" by Leslie Ludy (yes, I know I'm obsessed with their books, but that's just because they continually point me to Jesus!) and I was so refreshed and re-inspired to jump back into that room full of toddlers and just keep showing Jesus' love to them.

"I have learned that those 'I can't handle it' or 'I'm exhausted' moments present great opportunities for victory in my mothering. Not victory in my own strength but in the strength of Jesus Christ. In my weakness, His strength can be made perfect. But I must allow that supernatural work of grace to be accomplished in my soul by trusting Him for strength and peace, instead of giving in to how I am feeling in the moment. 'I can't handle it' feelings must immediately be countered with a 'God can handle it' attitude." Leslie Ludy, Set-Apart Motherhood, p.30

~ "SAY THE WORD" by Hillsong United. I have been listening to this song over and over lately. When I was working though 2 hours worth of homework the other day, I literally replayed this song 10 times.

~ The Old Testament. I have been reading though the OT lately, and I have been super, super, super encouraged. I have been re-reading these verses out of my journal a lot lately:

"...Up; for this is the day in which the Lord has delivered Sisera into your hands; has not the Lord your God gone before you?..." (Judges 4:14).
"Be strong and of good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them; for the Lord your God, He it is that does go with you; He will not fail you or forsake you" (Deuteronomy 31:6).
"He is the Rock, His work is perfect; for all His ways are judgment; a God of truth and without iniquity, just and righteous is He" (Deuteronomy 32:4).
"When you go out to battle against your enemies, and see horses, and chariots, and a people more than you, be not afraid of them; for the Lord your God is with you..." (Deuteronomy 20:1).
"...To [the Lord] shall you cleave..." (Deuteronomy 10:20).
"Have I not sent thee?" (Judges 6:14c).

~ THE TRUE WOMAN CONFERENCE. I am so thankful to have had the privilege to travel with some sweet friends to Indianapolis to attend Nancy DeMoss Wolgemuth's "Cry Out 16" conference. It was such sweet time of getting to meet other girls who are seeking Jesus, and to hear some wonderful speakers. I had the privilege of meeting the lovely Mary Kassian, and I was soooo excited; she had taught the second session, and I was totally blessed by this one statement she made:

1. Praise to the Lord, the Almighty
Recently, I have been listening to this lovely hymn over and over. The words are so worshipful, and they really minister to my heart; my favorite little phrase in this song is "ponder anew what the Almighty can do."

Ponder anew.

I love that! Like, take a step back and drop all you know for a moment, and just ponder all over again the greatness of our God. Definitely so important.

2. "Only One Life, Twill' Soon Be Past." (C.T. Studd).

I have often used this pressing quote in place of my bio on social media because I want to be reminded constantly that "only what's done for Christ will last." These words of C.T. Studd make me evaluate what I'm doing and ask myself a question:

When I stand before God and answer to Him for what I did at this moment, will I regretfully explain that I lived in light of how I felt, or will I be able to say, "by your grace, Lord, I lived that moment in light of the Cross"?

He is worthy of my every breath.

3. We Must Allow Him to Shape Every Dimension of How We Live (Leslie Ludy).

If you actually open up your Bible and read it, you're going to find out something really fast: Jesus is stunning. And I am not. In and of myself, I am a selfish, flesh-following, lazy, disgusting human being, but when I allow Jesus to come and have all of me, when I allow Him to wreck my life and rebuild it His way, we begin to see something beautiful.

And it's not Cassidy.

It's all due to Him. The one who loves the lowly, reaches the broken, strengthens the weak, holds the hurting--that's the One who wants to overtake your life, starting right now. Starting right in that one area of your life you want to hold back from Him. He died for that place in your life. "Wherever you are, be all there" Jim Elliot once said, but I would like to say, wherever you are, be all His. (By the way, I love Jim Elliot, I just wanted to build off of that.)

So my friend, believe it or not, you're are choosing at this very moment whom your are living for. May our hearts always cry "JESUS!"

4. Run a Rescue Shop Within a Yard of Hell (C.T. Studd).

I am alive.

And that's not for no reason. I live to bring glory to my King; to know Him and to make Him known. Am I living my everyday life with a "today" perspective, or an eternal perspective? When I talk with others in my life, is it my greatest joy to speak of Him?

Oh yes, and it's not "my everyday"; I have nothing that I have not been given. And it is all from Him. So, today is all HIS.

I have been thinking about how much every person in my life needs the Gospel; I have been saved for for about 1,825 days, and guess what? I still need Jesus today just as much as I needed Him at moment one. And I want to have such a love for my Jesus that it is never ever an aching duty*, or adopt an "oh, well I guess I should probably share the Gospel with them" kind of attitude. He is my savior; I am His unworthy servant, and He has asked me to go. To go and make Him known.

As October arrives, I am keeping Amy Carmichael's words in mind; "We who love our Lord...will voluntarily and gladly lay aside the things that charm the world, so that we may be charmed and ravished with the things of heaven." He is so faithful; there's one more month behind me, and everything else He has in store before me. He will carry me! What a comfort that is to know.

--*Even if it does feel like a duty at moments, I tell my feelings "No!" They are not in charge of this life any longer. They have been given up to Christ, and are His to do whatever He sees fit with them. I must continue to share the Gospel even when I don't "feel like it." There's great joy in speaking of the One who can save even me.

Sunday, September 11, 2016

I had the privilege of meeting Eric Ludy this past spring; I was sooo excited and I could barely contain myself! (And I guess he could tell since he said, "Wow you're really enthusiastic!" I was like.... Ohhh, I need to calm down! ;)). I have been so encouraged by Eric and Leslie's ministry, and today I want to share a message of Eric's.

A few years back, I hear this Eric Ludy sermon called "The Auschwitz Within." And I was so convicted and encouraged by it, and I hope y'all will watch it too! In this message, Eric shares about Evan--a man whose life was radically abandoned to the King of kings. One day, Evan was brutally murdered, and practically forgotten by everyone. His family does not remember his life, except perhaps in shame. There wasn't a funeral upon his death. The individual who killed Evan wasn't even tried.

Evan was aborted.

The current "church culture" of America is not one that stands for life and advocates on the vulnerable one's behalf; rather we too often look the other way while another precious life slips away. In this sermon, Pastor Eric strongly exhorts the church that we are called to stand. We must be a voice for these children.

I am 100% certain that your life will be impacted, touched, and convicted by this message. With transparency and boldness, Eric stands with these little, precious lives. His reason for doing so? Because Jesus is standing for these lives. We must stand with Him! Do not miss out on this inspiring, and deeply challenging message:

Wednesday, July 6, 2016

I have been reading through my favorite book of the Bible this month, and I can't help but share a few of my new favorite verses that have been special to me this read through.

1. Isaiah 12:4-6
"And in that day shall ye say, 'Praise the Lord, call upon His name, declare His doings among the people, make mention that His name is exalted. Sing unto the Lord; for He hath done excellent things; this is known in all the earth. Cry out and shout, thou inhabitant of Zion; for great is the Holy One of Israel in the midst of thee.'"

2. Isaiah 14:27
"For the Lord Almighty has purposed, and who can thwart Him? His hand is stretched out, and who can turn it back?" (NIV)

3. Isaiah 24:14-15
"They shall lift up their voice, they shall sing for the majesty of the Lord, they shall cry aloud from the sea. Wherefore glorify ye the Lord in the fires, even the name of the Lord God of Israel in the isles of the sea."

4. Isaiah 26:4
"Trust ye in the Lord forever; for in the Lord Jehovah is everlasting strength."

5. Isaiah 33:2
"O Lord, be gracious unto us; we have waited for Thee: be Thou their Arm every morning, our salvation also in the time of trouble."

6. Isaiah 33:5-6
"The Lord is exalted; for He dwelleth on high; He hath filled Zion with judgment and righteousness. And wisdom and knowledge shall be the stability on thy times, and strength of salvation: the fear of the Lord is his treasure."

7. Isaiah 33:10,13
"'Now will I rise', saith the Lord; 'Now will I be exalted; now will I lift up myself... Hear, ye that are far off, what I have done; and ye that are near, acknowledge my might.'"

8. Isaiah 33:22
"For the Lord is our Judge, the Lord is our Lawgiver, the Lord is our King; He will save us."

Two years ago was the first time I took special notice of the book of Isaiah; I had read it before, but this time I was totally in love!

I was so refreshed and encouraged by these few verses that I wanted to pass them on and make sure others didn't miss out on these beautiful verses. Each of these verses made my heart sing, "How great Thou art!" Wow, Jesus is faithful.

Saturday, May 28, 2016

I really do not know how in the world to put these past months, weeks, or even days into words. So much has happened! But there is one thing I can say with absolute confidence - God is so amazingly faithful!

On an exciting note, I have been writing and taking photos with The Overflow for nine months now. I seems unreal that I get to interact with all these dear Christian girls and watch some thrive and grow in Christ. I will never tire of watching people find their victory in Jesus. :) Just last night I was up into the late hours of the evening writing a post; I had a burden and couldn't wait to get it down on to paper. It's my prayer that each post will cause the readers to be freshly abandoned to Jesus Christ; hopefully they don't even notice I'm there writing it, but instead it is my hope that they are completely pointed to Him. Some of my recent posts are: Why I Lost Control of My Love Life, The Day I Failed My Driving Test, and Standing for Life: a Post About Abortion.

I'm currently wrapping up junior year and all the classes and assignments that entails. School has been extremely hard this year and I have learned a lot, thanks to my parents and all my teachers! :) This year, my friend Emma decided to start a Bible study at our home school group, and it was such an encouragement to be able to soak in God's word together. Here are some photos from that-

Emma leading our discussion on the book of John

I'll wrap up this post with a great Amy Carmichael quote (and it will be a part of my upcoming Overflow post!) -

“If you would live in victory over the circumstances, great and small, that come to you each day… And if you want God’s life and power to well up from the depths of your being… Then you must refuse to be dominated by the seen and the felt.”

Monday, April 18, 2016

In December, I sent in my Bright Lights application. It seemed surreal.

I had been attending a local Bight Lights group for three years, and I was super excited about the idea of starting my own. I thought about how much the Lord had used each lesson in my life to teach me and draw me closer to Himself, and I wanted to see other girls grow in Him and draw nearer to Him.

A few weeks after I sent the application in, I got a call from Sarah Mally (the founder and director of Bright Lights). I was so excited that I could barely contain myself! Sarah Mally wants to talk to me?! She told me that I was ACCEPTED as a Bright Lights leader.

Soon the date was set, Tuesday, March 22nd would be my first meeting. As the day approached, I wrote the lesson, planned the snack, practiced the music, and prayed. I wrote up invitations and spread the word; I hoped that many girls would be able to come!

The long-awaited day finally arrived.

The clock struck 6:30pm... Where were the girls??? I stared out the window hoping to see a car pull into our driveway, then I reviewed the invitation mentally, "Bright Lights will be at my house on the 22nd at 6:30pm..."

Humm... what did I do wrong? I wasn't sure, so I walked away to my bedroom to pray. "Lord, please work it out for the girls to come, if it's your will." Just then my sister, Cami, came running down the hall way, yelling "Cassidy!! They're here!"

We had a really sweet meeting, and I'm so thankful for each of the girls God has brought to my group. This past Tuesday was the second meeting, and the group has grown from 3 to 5 girls! I'm so excited! :)

Friday, March 4, 2016

It was a cold, cloudy kind of day with fresh snow on the ground when I went to take my Driver's Skills test. If I passed this test, I could get my license by Christmas. I was nervous, to say the least, but I reasoned that I had logged nearly seventy hours of driving under supervision, so I should be ready. The instructor took me out to the car and began explaining what the test would involve; everything sounded great, until one little phrase caught me: "If you fail the parking skills portion of the test, we will not go on to the driving skills portion."In my mind I was thinking, "Wait a second... I'm not good at parallel parking, but I can drive okay... can't we test the driving first? I'll be driving a lot more than I'll be crazy backwards parking anyways, right?" Nevertheless, I put the family minivan in drive and headed over to multiple lines of bright, orange cones with white, plastic pipes sticking out of them. "This is probably easy, I've practiced a ton. It will be great!" Umm yeah... not quite... twenty minutes later, I was sitting in the passenger sea, tearing up over the fact that I had failed.My mom already knew most of the details, but I went ahead and re-lectured her on all the ways I should have done better. Times pulled forward while in parallel parking position: basically 1,000, cones hit when backing in: at least 2..."Maybe I'll never get my license. I am a terrible driver! I always fail." Interesting, apparently my momentary optimism had faded.As you can see in my embarrassing story, so often we can go from the enthusiastic-optimistic-roses-are-all-red attitude, to “everything is going completely wrong.” The day before I took the test I had prayed, “Have your way in this test, Lord.” I had left it in His hands - until my moment of panic - then all the sudden I went back and basically said: “Hi Lord, do you mind if I have that burden back? Putting it on my own shoulders will be perfect.”As my mom drove us home, I began thinking of all the reasons why this circumstance was unbelievable: it cost $50 for the test, my dad will probably be upset, now I have a “record,” and there is a houseful of people waiting at home who were going to ask with bright eyes and big smiles, “did you pass?”Having a Christ-centered response is a whole lot more than optimism, it’s an attitude of the heart - one that the Lord wants to build into your life, and guess what? He is using all the people in your life and every circumstance to mold you into His likeness. Just as I wished the instructor had tested my driving skills instead of my parking skills, sometimes I allow myself to believe that if the Lord would only test some other area of my life — then I’d pass His test. But if He gave us our way in things, would we really become like Him? Would we be reminded of our continual need and dependency on our Savior?No.After I had failed my Driver’s Skills test, there were so many things I could have chosen to be thankful for: I had a very sweet instructor, the road wasn’t icy that morning, I got signed up right away to retake the test, and more. I’m the one who would always go around to family members and remind them, “gratitude is the inner attitude of thanksgiving!” Yet, when a difficult moment came (which was a great opportunity to live what I had already said), I complained and did not overflow with the love of Christ, as we are called to (Jn. 13:34-35).

That test was a lot more than just a test on my driving abilities; I believe that the Lord was testing my heart. Would I still praise Him even if I didn’t receive my desired outcome? I could have, but instead I saw it as something I deserved but hadn’t yet received. My attitude was, “Lord don’t I deserve this? I’ve been learning for a year and a half! Everyone else my age has already gotten their license.” It’s amazing how we can hide wrong motives even from ourselves! I am so thankful that God does not leave me in my sin; He loves me so much that He’s willing to let me fail, feel pain, and go through rough times so that I might glorify Him more fully. How often in your life do you allow yourself to become ungrateful, simply because things aren’t going your own way?

Another thing that happened after I had failed my test was that I allowed my mind to dwell on thoughts about myself, “maybe I’ll never get my license,” “I’m a terrible driver,” “I always fail.” I should have directed my thoughts to Christ and the fact that He never changes and never fails, even when I do. In the moments of failure, discouragement, and pain we prove who we trust, who we believe, who we want to be successful. Am I seeking to glorify myself?Oswald Chambers once said:

“Thoughts about myself hinder my usefulness to God. God’s purpose is not to perfect me to make me a trophy in His showcase; He is getting me to the place where He can use me. Let Him do what He wants.”

When I try to pick up my own agenda and run with it, I fail miserably, but when I surrender my plans to Him, I can know that He will accomplish His will in and through me. When you and I purpose to do His work in His time and in His way, life changes - it is no longer an aching burden - but rather, a joyful assignment sent from the King Himself.You don’t have to make my mistake! Ask the Lord to give you His response in every situation - ask that He would overtake you and that His love would be radiated through every fiber of your being. But don’t forget that you cannot have Christ-centered responses on your own strength, or you will fail miserably. Instead of asking yourself, “what would Jesus do in this situation?” Ask the Lord how He would like you to respond. Can you imagine how my Driver’s Test situation could have turned out differently if I had made it my first priority to bring Him glory instead of myself?

Tuesday, January 19, 2016

My Grandpa with my cousin Harper

When I was thirteen years old I came across a video entitled "Babies are Murdered Here." That title sure caught my attention. As I watched it, I was absolutely floored. Horrified, I ran to my mom and asked if abortions were actually happening all the time, she confirmed that there were abortions performed every day of the week. "What? I thought our country took a stand for what is right. How could this possibly be?" I thought to myself, "there is no way that the murder of precious babies could be happening right here in Rockford!"
That night, I did not sleep well, I kept thinking of all the beautiful lives that had been taken. As tears rolled down my cheeks, I started to ask myself some questions - what if I had been aborted? I was blessed to be born to parents who were so excited to find out they were expecting me, but what about all of the children who weren't?
Life is so precious and beautiful.
Genesis 1:27 says:

"So God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female he created them."

Everyone is created in the image of god, no matter who your parents are or what you've done; human being = image bearer of Christ, and the enemy of our souls does not like that at all. He is aware that the more people there are in this world, the greater chance of his schemes being thwarted. Satan is anti-life and pro-death, he rejoices in the seeming infant-genocide of our culture.
Think back to the slave trade in the 1700's when people were not considered human if they had dark skin. At that time in history, the definition of humanity was in question. Countless slaves were unjustly mistreated, beaten, and even murdered. We now shake our heads at such injustice, but the slave trade didn't just fade away on its own - people had to take a stand - and taking such a stand was frowned upon and mocked. Slavery was considered acceptable by nearly everyone! One of the people who took a stand was named Hannah More. Hannah was a Christian play writer, educator, and philanthropist with a passion to see change in the sinful patterns around her.
She once said,

"In short, everyone seems convinced, that the evil so much complained of does really exist somewhere, though all are inwardly persuaded that it is not with themselves. All desire a general reformation, but few will listen to proposals of particular amendment; the body must be restored, but each limb begs to remain as it is; and accusations which concern all, will be likely to affect none. They think that sin, like matter, is divisible, and that what is scattered among so many, cannot materially affect any one; and thus individuals contribute separately to that evil which they in general lament." [1]

As Hannah has said, all are inwardly persuaded that there is a problem, yet few will actually take a stand. Every one of us has a choice to either ignore abortion or take a stand for life. If we are certain that abortion grieves God's heart, then why have we not done more to protect these children?

Many won't even call them babies, rather they are referred to as fetuses, clumps of cells, and POC (products of conception) - anything to avoid calling them human. Our culture denies their humanity and worth, but secretly, many abortion workers confess that they know they have been taking babies lives. According to Lifenews.com there have been approximately 55,772,015 abortions since Roe v. Wade was legalized. Fifty-five million lives!

“Destruction of the embryo in the mother’s womb is a violation of the right to live which God has bestowed upon the nascent life. To raise the question whether we are here concerned already with a human being or not is merely to confuse the issue. The simple fact is that God certainly intended to create a human being and that this nascent human being has been deliberately deprived of his life and that is nothing but murder.”

— DIETRICH BONHOEFFER

As Hannah More fought for the end of slavery, it is time for us too, to stand for LIFE. God has made every single person in His image and that should be enough information for everyone in the world to understand that we must speak up; these precious children cannot speak for themselves. Will you join me in taking a stand for life?
___
1. Essays for Young Ladies by Hannah More
Post layout created by Allison Whistler

HELLO

My name is Cassidy Shooltz, thanks so much for stopping by! It is with immense joy that I can say "I belong to Jesus!" He has been completely faithful to me, and it is my prayer that each passing hour will be the avenue for knowing Him better. For many years C.T. Studd's words have rung loudly in my ears: "Only one life t'will soon be past; only what's done for Christ will last, and when I'm dying, how happy I'll be, if the lamp of my life was burned out for Thee." It is my hope that everything here on Let My Life Be a Light will lift your eyes to Jesus! :)

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Followers

In Quotes

"The fair, new petals must fall and for no visible reason; no one seems enriched by the stripping. And the first step into the realm of giving is a like surrender. Not man-ward but God-ward; an utter yielding of our best. So long as our idea of surrender is limited to the renouncing of unlawful things, we have never grasped its true meaning. That is not worthy of the name, for no polluted thing can be offered."

~Lillias Trotter

"There is absolutely no excuse to stay where you are right now. If you are weak, He can make you strong. If you are timid, He can make you brave. If you are a pervert, he can make you pure. If you are selfish, He can make you selfless. If you are a shepherd, He can make you a king. If you are mediocre, He can make you a Mighty One of valor.... Jesus defeated every spiritual foe you and I will ever face before we ever even encounter them." Eric Ludy, Wrestling Prayer

"Purify the inmost desire of my heart." Amy Carmichael

"Lord, identify me with your death, until I know sin is dead in me." Oswald Chambers

"Until He is our all and all, we aren't truly living the Gospel life." Leslie Ludy

"Sanctification is impartation, not imitation." Oswald Chambers

"Your priorities must be God first, God second, God third, until your life is continually face to face with God and no one else is taken into account whatsoever." Oswald Chambers